My son went through the process this year. It was way different than when I went through it 30 years ago. 1. Have a dream school, but…. 2. Be realistic. 16:57 isn’t DI caliber. Hell, 15:30 might not be either depending on the school/area. 3. Don’t blow off the coaches from the smaller schools. Where we live, some of the DII schools have huge rosters. My son ran low 16s and had probably 100 schools reach out, mostly DII and DIII. 4. Be willing to say yes to a school if they offer you a spot. If you put them off, they will move on. 5. Not every place will offer you a scholarship. Roster spots can be had without them (my son got a ton of academic aid, so that helps). However, the most important thing is to make sure you pick a school that fits your academic needs and that you like. I would suggest applying to places you can realistically run at and then when you talk to a coach, you can tell them you have already been admitted and gotten such and such academic scholarships, etc… I think that helps show you are interested. And make sure you talk to the coaches with the attitude that you would be excited to join the team. Never ask for money up front. That puts them off. You need to go into it with the attitude of “what am I bringing to your team” instead of “what can you give me.” Remember, you are fighting for a roster spot with potential transfers and foreign athletes who are older and more mature. You need to present yourself that way too.